Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Based upon statistics gathered by the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is believed to be responsible for more than one million deaths each year in the United States. These statistics also indicate that more than five million Americans suffer from some type of diagnosed symptomatic cardiovascular disease while an even larger number are believed to be suffering from an undiagnosed cardiovascular related disease.
Multiple factors are believed to contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease including cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, researchers in the field have concluded from various genetic, pathological, epidemiological and intervention studies that a causal relationship exists between serum cholesterol levels and the incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Accordingly, any program designed to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease should include steps to reduce serum cholesterol levels.